MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Do you ever wonder what your pet might say if it could talk? No need to wonder anymore, thanks to videos on social media where animals talk back to their owners with attitude, like this dog caught chewing up a roll of toilet paper.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: What have you done?
BOBBY JOHNSON: What'd you mean what I - it's toilet paper. You tripping over toilet paper.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You ate a roll of toilet paper.
JOHNSON: Are we about to do this again? I chew toilet paper. I didn't even chew it all. You could use some of that.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The video comes from the mind and mouth of Bobby Johnson, who's a voice-over artist in Dallas. He's known on social media as the RxCKSTxR, although with an unusual spelling.
JOHNSON: Just take the vowels out and replace them with X's. So R-X-C-K-S-T-X-R.
MARTIN: Johnson used to be a music producer. Now his full-time job is watching about 200 pet videos a day submitted by animal lovers all over the world. He watches with the sound turned down and looks for animals that seem to be saying something with their body movements, like this sassy Chihuahua.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: What do you want?
JOHNSON: I want to go out.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Really?
JOHNSON: Come on. You just sit here pushing the buttons on this stick. And we don't do nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. Say something.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Seriously?
JOHNSON: Mmm hmm.
INSKEEP: Johnson started making animal videos during the pandemic.
JOHNSON: When everything shut down, and we were isolated. I came across a puppy dog bouncing in a box video and was like, hey, that could be a song. It's like it's - it has rhythm to it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PUPPY BOUNCE (BOUNCIN' IN THE BOX)")
JOHNSON: (Rapping) And you don't lick me in the face. That's nasty. Aye. Puppy dog bouncing in the box like this.
It was reposted by like, Colin Hanks and Missy Elliott, and it just blew up.
MARTIN: Johnson doesn't let the animals do all the talking. He leaves the owner's voice in.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Duke, you are not supposed to be in the pool.
JOHNSON: You want to play ball?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: We're not playing ball.
JOHNSON: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: We need to get out.
JOHNSON: Let's play "Titanic" then.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: You need to get out right now.
JOHNSON: You could be Rose. I'm going to be Jack.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Come on. I said get out now.
JOHNSON: Come on, Rose.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Let's go.
JOHNSON: Save me this time.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Let's go.
INSKEEP: But there's never any question about who gets the last word.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)
JOHNSON: I'll always love you, Rose.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Duke.
JOHNSON: Live your life, Rose. Live your life for me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PUPPY BOUNCE (BOUNCIN' IN THE BOX)")
JOHNSON: (Rapping) Bounce it, puppy. Bounce it, puppy, like you tryna get free. Bounce it, puppy. Bounce it, lil puppy. Bounce it for me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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